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The Medici tenor viola is a notable tenor viola by 
Antonio Stradivari
Antonio Stradivari (, also , ; – 18 December 1737) was an Italian luthier and a craftsman of string instruments such as violins, cellos, guitars, violas and harps. The Latinized form of his surname, '' Stradivarius'', as well as the collo ...
. It is part of a set of instruments by this luthier which belonged to the Grand Dukes of Tuscany. (subscription required) (subscription required)
History
The instrument was made in Cremona in 1690, and so far as is known, it has remained inTuscany
it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman)
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since it was delivered to the Medici court. The ruler at the time was Cosimo III de' Medici
Cosimo III de' Medici (14 August 1642 – 31 October 1723) was Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1670 until his death in 1723, the sixth and penultimate from the House of Medici. He reigned from 1670 to 1723, and was the elder son of Grand Duke Ferdinan ...
, but it was his son, Ferdinando de' Medici, Grand Prince of Tuscany, who was known for his patronage of music.
It is in exceptional condition, which probably indicates that there has been relatively little demand to play an instrument of this type. In Stradivari's time violas came in two sizes, tenor and alto. Tenor violas have become obsolete, whereas alto has become the standard voicing for violas. There were originally two violas in the Medici set, the other being an alto: the two instruments appear to have become separated in the late 18th century.
Since the 19th century the tenor viola has belonged to Florence's conservatory, the Conservatorio Luigi Cherubini, which acquired a collection of musical instruments from the time of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. In an inventory made by the conservatory in 1863 the instrument was given a value of only £1,000, whereas the cello from the same set was valued at £7,000.
Construction and appearance
The instrument has a two-piece back made frommaple
''Acer'' () is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated since http ...
and the belly is of spruce. (subscription required) It is decorated with the Medici crest in mother-of-pearl
Nacre ( , ), also known as mother of pearl, is an organicinorganic composite material produced by some molluscs as an inner shell layer; it is also the material of which pearls are composed. It is strong, resilient, and iridescent.
Nacre is ...
on the fingerboard and a cupid on the tailpiece
A tailpiece is a component on many stringed musical instruments that anchors one end of the strings, usually opposite the end with the tuning mechanism (the scroll, headstock, peghead, etc.).
Function and construction
The tailpiece anchors t ...
.
Access
The tenor viola is on display in the ''Museo degli strumenti musicali'', accessed via theGalleria dell'Accademia
The Galleria dell'Accademia di Firenze, or "Gallery of the Academy of Florence", is an art museum in Florence, Italy. It is best known as the home of Michelangelo's sculpture ''David''. It also has other sculptures by Michelangelo and a large ...
, which is best known as the home of Michelangelo's ''David''.
See also
The set of instruments in Madrid known as the Stradivarius Palatinos originally included a tenor viola.References
{{Reflist Stradivari instruments Individual violas 1690 works